Residents packed All Saints Episcopal Church at Pleasant and Irving streets last night to hear from city officials about a rash of fires in the neighborhood in recent months.

The meeting, run by Pleasant Street Neighborhood Network Center director Mary Keefe, came after a weekend when fires struck at 115 Pleasant St. early Sunday morning and 39 Irving St. early Saturday morning. The buildings are about 300 yards apart. Authorities said a fire at 325 Pleasant St. Friday was not suspicious; Deputy Fire Chief Geoffrey Gardell said last night there were no signs of forced entry into the building, and the fire started in a ceiling.

“Your concerns are more than justified,” City Manager Michael V. O'Brien said to an audience of 45. “That is why we are here.”

Authorities have labeled several of the fires, including the Saturday and Sunday fires, as suspicious, but last night they stopped short of connecting any dots pointing to a serial arsonist. And, police and fire officials said, there are fires, including suspicious ones, all over the city. Still, there seemed to be at least an acknowledgement that there have been an unusual number of fires lately within a relatively confined area. District 4 City Councilor Sarai Rivera said the neighborhood appears to have some sort of fire problem, and Mr. O'Brien said that at least at face value, there have been a string of fires in the neighborhood.

Police and fire officials last night said that because of ongoing investigations they could give little specific information about the weekend's fires. Deputy Gardell said investigations take time, and cautioned residents not to jump to conclusions before all the facts come out.

Several residents focused on a surveillance video of a trash bin on Chandler Street that was set on fire. Along with the residents, Ms. Keefe and Ms. Rivera asked why the video could not be released — neighborhood residents might be able to quickly identify a person they said is in the video. She said police often release surveillance videos of suspects in robberies and abductions.

Deputy Police Chief Edward McGinn said releasing the video would be a “last ditch” strategy. He said police and fire investigators are pursuing other leads that could turn up a suspect. Mr. O'Brien called releasing the video to the public an “open item” that is currently being reviewed. He said police are willing to release the video, but said there is still more work to do in the investigation.

Deputy Chief McGinn said releasing suspect videos must be done judiciously. He said in something like a bank robbery, it's pretty clear who the suspect is — someone who passes a note to a teller or brandishes a weapon. He said the trash-bin surveillance video might show somebody walking up to it, but he said that person could end up just being a homeless person going through the rubbish.

Neighborhood activist Kevin Ksen pressed for more details on the video, particularly if it coincides with the time of the Chandler Street trash-bin fire. Deputy Chief McGinn said he has not actually seen the video.

Mr. Ksen gave a rundown of what has concerned residents in recent months. He said the neighborhood first became concerned about suspicious fires after a fire on lower Pleasant Street in April. He said residents then began reporting a rash of trash-bin fires in the neighborhood. Mr. Ksen said the person-to-person communication about the fires was working, but said a big fire that destroyed or damaged several homes on Merrick Street June 12 prompted even more concern in the neighborhood. Things eventually seemed to calm down, but then the three fires over the weekend renewed concerns, he said.

Ms. Keefe said that along with release of the video, the community wants a dedicated police officer for the neighborhood, more outreach to people who don't speak English or Spanish, and more long-term commitments to neighborhood housing and revitalization.

Mr. O'Brien said he felt like that combination of route officers and attention from tactical response area designation and summer impact patrols outweighs any advantage that having a single police officer on patrol would bring. There are budget considerations that factor in as well, he said.

He also said that an initiative he plans to roll out in September will be partially federally funded and will try to tackle foreclosures and blighted neighborhoods.

Councilor-at-Large Konstantina B. Lukes said that budget issues or not, the neighborhood needs to know it has the city's attention. She proposed having Police Chief Gary Gemme personally meet with residents in the neighborhood to assure them his department is doing everything it can.

Alfred Gardin, a resident of 115 Pleasant St., said people come in and out of the apartment building all times of the night. He said the landlord should hire a security guard.

Deputy Chief McGinn said residents should call police to report suspicious activity, and they will clear out any unwanted residents. He said people don't just have guests at 3 a.m.; there are probably drugs involved, he said.

Neighborhood resident Dante Comparetto asked why fire statistics can't be as specific as crime statistics. He said being able to map out fires with more specificity could give a fuller picture of the challenges the neighborhood faces.

Mr. O'Brien said information silos in city government have been tough to break down, but said new systems being worked on will go a long way toward addressing that. He said he hopes to have that kind of information available soon, at least at a neighborhood watch level. Also, he said under the current system, fires can only be logged statistically when a cause is determined. Only looking at fire calls can give a false impression, because there are false alarms that would statistically look like fires, he said.

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